Pumpkin
Treats - Place flat bottom ice cream cones in muffin pans.
Fill half way (not too much or it will overflow!) with cake
batter. Bake according to directions on the box. Let children
frost with orange icing and decorate with chocolate chips
for eyes, a candy corn for a nose, and a strip of red licorice
for a mouth.

Pumpkin
Art - Give children a paper plate and orange, yellow, and
green construction paper. Let them tear the paper and glue it
on the plate to create a unique pumpkin. Have children cut facial
features (eyes, nose, mouth, ears) out of a magazine. They can
then glue them on an orange pumpkin to make a delightful jack-o-lantern.
Encourage them to name their pumpkins.

Once
I Had a Pumpkin - ("Lassie and Laddie")

Oh, once I had a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin.
Oh, once I had a pumpkin with no face at all.
With no eyes and no nose and no mouth and no teeth.
Oh, once I had a pumpkin with no face at all.

So I made a jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern.
So I made a jack-o-lantern with a big, funny face.
With big eyes and a big nose and big mouth and big teeth.
So I made a jack-o-lantern with a big, funny face.

(Draw a pumpkin on the board and add the features as you sing
the song. Explain that a pumpkin only becomes a jack-o-lantern
after you carve a face on it.)

Halloween Is Coming! - (Tune: "I'm a Little Teapot")

Halloween is coming when we'll be
Dressed in funny clothes and then we'll see
Pumpkins in the window shining bright.
Oh, we'll have a good time on Halloween night!

The
Goblin in the Dark - (Tune: "Farmer in the Dell")
(Play this game just like "The Farmer in the Dell".
Start with the goblin and let the children march around in
a circle as different children are chosen.)

The
goblin in the dark, the goblin in the dark.
Hi ho it's Halloween. The goblin in the dark.
The goblin takes a ghost. . .
The ghost takes a witch. . .
The witch takes a cat. . .
The cat takes a bat. . .
They all scream and screech. . .(Make
howling noises.)

The Twelve Days of Halloween - ("The Twelve Days
of Christmas")

On the first day of Halloween my monster gave to me
A bat in an old dead tree.
On the second day of Halloween my monster gave to me
Two smiling pumpkins and a bat in an old dead tree.
Third day - 3 giggling ghosts
Fourth day - 4 clanking skeletons
Fifth day - 5 hairy spiders

Let children make up their own verses for days 6-12.
You might also want them to illustrate the verses in this
song and make it into a big book.

The Witch's Itch - (Chant and clap.)

The witch, the witch, the witch has an itch.
Where, oh, where does the witch have an itch?
On her teeny, tiny nose (or other body part). (Point to your
nose.)
On her teeny, tiny nose? (Point to child's nose.)
The witch has an itch on her teeny, tiny nose.

Continue the chant inserting other body parts.

Where Is the Jack-o-Lantern? - (Tune: "Where Is
Thumbkin?")

Where is the jack-o-lantern?
Where is the jack-o-lantern?
Here I am. Here I am. (Make circle over
head with arms.)
Halloween is coming.
Halloween is coming.
Oh, what fun!(Clap
hands.)
Oh, what fun!
Where is the witch. . .ick, ick, ick!(Wrinkle
nose and wiggle fingers.)
Where is the black cat. . .meow, meow, meow!(Pretend
to scratch claws in the air.)
Where is the skeleton. . .clink, clank, clunk.(Shrug
shoulders up and down.)
Where is the ghost. . .whooo, whooo, whooo!(Wave
arms in the air.)

Pumpkin
Glyph - Each child will need an
orange sheet of paper cut in a pumpkin shape. Have them decorate
their pumpkins according to these directions:

Stripes
- How many letters are in your name? Put that many
stripes on your pumpkin. Eyes - Make the pumpkin's eyes the color of
your eyes. Nose - If you're a boy make a triangle. If
you're a girl make a circle. Teeth - How many teeth have you lost? Make
that many teeth in your pumpkin's mouth. Stem - Make the stem your favorite color.

Hang
the pumpkins in the hall with the code. Who can solve the
pumpkin puzzler?

Jack
O. Happy - This is one of my favorite finger plays.
I start by having the children make a circle around their
heads. I make exaggerated facial expressions for the different
emotions in the poem, and the children mimic me. This
is also fun to illustrate, use in the pocket chart, or
make individual books for children to take home.

This
is Jack O. Happy.(Smile)
This is Jack O. Sad.(Frown)
This is Jack O. Spooky.(Open
mouth and look frightened.)
This is Jack O. Mad(Make
angry face.)
This is Jack in pieces small.(Open
up hands.)
But in a pie he's best of all!(Pat
tummy.)

Brainstorm
- Brainstorm what you can do with a pumpkin. Write down children's
responses on a language experience chart. Encourage creativity!
Anything goes!